Sick of All the Lies
by OptimusPrimeAddict
Summary: Steve discovers a secret that Fury had kept from the Avengers and it was the last straw. He left SHIELD and the Avengers behind and began driving across the country on his bike, stopping in small towns and staying in crap motels. But then he stumbles upon Toretto's Cafe and his life changes forever. Probably slash later, don't like don't read. Flame if you want, I don't care.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:__ Hey y'all, OPA here. So, if you read my other stories I'm really sorry about not updating those. This plot bunny would not leave me alone and every time I tried writing either of the others all I could think about was this. So, I wrote it until I could hear myself think again and now I can get back to work on FwtP and Lost and Found. I promise I will have chapter up for BOTH soon. Anyway, read and don't forget to review! :)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_ ~OptimusPrimeAddict_**

**CHAPTER 1**

Steve continued to stare blankly at the computer screen for another few minutes. Ice blue eyes were alight with disbelief, betrayal and rage, Steve could feel the raw emotion coursing through his veins. _I think Fury just _enjoys _crossing lines and doing whatever the hell he pleases so everything turns out just the way he wants it to, _he thought bitterly. The soldier read the report again several times before slamming the laptop shut and standing up to go confront the one-eyed bastard he called his boss.

An hour earlier, Tony had announced his boredom to the few occupants of the room which had been met with remarks of it being his own fault that he blew up the lab and had to wait for it to be rebuilt. The playboy simply ignored them in favor of hacking into SHIELD's mainframe to see what "Nicky" had been up to. JARVIS had informed Stark that Pepper had been looking for him which gave him time to put the laptop in front of Steve, who had previously been falling asleep on his sketchbook, so that he looked to be busy showing Cap how the technology worked before she stormed into the room. Even then, she still dragged Tony out of the room, apologizing to Steve that she had to cut his lesson short but the meeting was really important. Tony pouted as his girlfriend kidnapped him but told Steve to snoop in his place so that his hacking will not have been in vain.

And snoop the good captain did. He had decided that he'd rather not be blindsided with SHIELD hiding information from them should another crisis arise. He had gone through all of the most recent entries and reports until he came to the Chitauri incident. He read through all of the reports submitted even though he knew what happened and then he stumbled upon the autopsy of Phil Coulson. It stated: 'A nearly fatal stab wound located in the center of the chest was found and discovered to have missed any vital organs. The cause of death is a close-range gunshot wound straight to the heart, killing him instantly. It had been estimated that the time of death was just minutes after Agent Coulson had been stabbed.'

_Only one person with a gun had been near Phil right after Loki stabbed him. _The supersoldier thought as he made his way to the roof where a quinjet was kept in case the team was called in for a mission. The pilots didn't attempt to speak to the pissed off Captain and instead just took off and headed for the Helicarrier. A path was cleared by scrambling agents trying to get out of the soldier's way as he marched down the halls towards the Director's office. He entered the office without knocking and slammed the door shut hard enough that the frame shook along with the door.

"Captain, what can I do for you?" Fury was the epitome of calmness as he watched the angered superhero approach his desk.

"You can start by explaining what the _fuck _this is." The blonde growled as he opened the laptop and practically threw it in front of the Director.

Nick's eye scanned the page and he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Damn Stark." He muttered before looking up at the enraged Captain America standing on the opposite side of his desk. "Captain, I thought it best not to tell you that someone else killed Coulson so that you and your team would be brought together by his death to kill Loki, not the person who shot him."

"You didn't want us coming after _you._ Or, more likely, you needed a functioning team and when you saw Coulson stabbed, _but not dying_, you saw your chance and shot him so that we'd have something to come together for. You'd kill your right hand man and a kind-hearted soul just so we'd defeat Loki? You know, Director, I hate being lied to. But goddamn, couldn't you have just lied and told us he was dead and let him live? Or do you just fucking enjoy killing people, even your own agents?" Steve had slammed his hands down on the desk and leaned toward the man seated behind his desk, blue eyes glaring at the Director with hate in its purest form.

"Captain, the world was at stake. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Fury closed the laptop in front of him and stood to face the man out of time.

"Well, Director, I don't believe in that. Every life has value, even the criminals and villains we condemn. Director Fury, I resign from SHIELD as well as the Avengers Initiative. Effective immediately." Steve turned and exited the office, walking back to the deck with a determined air and another path through the agents made for him. Another silent quinjet ride brought Steve to Stark Tower where he packed a few pairs of clothes and other essentials into a duffel bag along with one picture of the team he had managed to get them to stand still for. It was movie night and they were going to have a Disney marathon so Steve and Thor could become aware of the wonderfulness that Disney had created. Clint, Bruce and Natasha were sitting on the couch while Tony and Thor were seated in front of it lying back against their teammates' legs. Thor had a face-splitting grin plastered on his face and Tony had his trademark seductive smirk in place while the three on the couch were giving small smiles because Steve had pleaded with them to smile for "just one picture!"

"Hey, JARVIS?" Steve asked as he zipped up the duffel and scanned the room for anything he may have missed.

"Yes, Captain?" The AI's voice emanated from all around Steve.

"If any of the team asks where I've gone, tell them that I've resigned and if they want to know why to ask Fury." He checked his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and the keys to his motorcycle. He had debated bringing his phone that Tony had given him but decided against it because his team would constantly try to call and SHIELD would be able to track him. He had been watching a fair amount of TV and knew enough that he was aware they could track a cell phone.

"Of course, sir. I wish you luck and a safe journey."

"Thanks, JARVIS. I appreciate it." Steve gave a small smile before heading down to the garage where Tony let him keep his motorcycle. He climbed on, placed the helmet over his head and started it up. He looked around him for a moment before whispering a final farewell and roaring into the streets of New York.

_***FATF*A*FATF*A*FATF*A*FATF*A*FATF*A*FATF*A*FATF*A*FATF*A***_

Steve rode across the country until he hit LA. He had stopped at shitty motels and family-owned diners along the way. Sometimes he'd stop a bookstore or art supply store if he was getting bored. He got what work he could: busboy at the local diner, a bagger at a supermarket, a delivery boy. He drove on and on, taking in the sights of dirty crowded cities, fields and rolling hills, barren desert, run-down little towns. When traffic died down and the sun started to set, Steve would remember the past. He remembered Peggy and his love for her, Doctor Erskine and the kindness he showed Steve _before _Captain America had been created. He especially enjoyed remembering his best friend Bucky and how they had met.

When Steve was eight, his father had beaten his mother to death and the cops had locked his ass up for life so Steve had been put in an orphanage where he met Bucky. The two had become inseparable and were never adopted out because no one ever wanted the sickly asthmatic boy but Bucky refused to go without Steve. When they turned eighteen, they were free to go and live how they wanted to live life. They had found a cheap apartment and took a couple part-time jobs each so they could afford it. That is, until, they discovered street racing. Bucky and Steve would watch races whenever they were happening and eventually, they were able to afford a car when the betting went their way. Racing had become their main source of income, part-time jobs nearly forgotten because of how much they were bringing in as they won race after race. Soon, everyone on the streets of Brooklyn knew their names. Racing was Steve's passion, it didn't matter how little he was or what conditions he had because as soon as he got behind the wheel, he dominated the streets. When the war started, Bucky and Steve pulled out of racing to join the army. Steve thought about going back to racing but decided it wouldn't have been the same without Bucky there.

Now, he's 70 years in the future and street racing was still out there, but the cars would be advanced and new. So, Steve had been reading books and magazines about modern cars, watching shows on how to build/rebuild them and he had even watched Tony tinker with his collection of sports cars. As he made his way cross-country, he'd taken jobs at garages so he could get some experience actually working on cars. So far, no SHIELD agents had come after him, which meant that Fury doesn't know where he is, or he doesn't have anyone strong enough (and willing enough) to take him down.

He hit LA around noon and began searching for a cheap place to eat. He came across a small building with 'Toretto's Market and Café' in bold letters over the open portion of the building that revealed the café area. He parked his bike on the street behind an obnoxiously colored truck that sported 'The Racer's Edge High Performance Auto Parts' and the address on the door. He entered the building and sat down at the bar a few seats away from the blonde who looked to be eating a tuna sandwich.

"What can I get you?" The woman behind the counter leaned against it as she spoke to him.

"I'll have a hamburger and some fries, please." He took in his surroundings as she turned to begin cooking his meal. Shelves of food and small drugstore-like items were placed in the closed section of the building. In the back, he noticed someone sitting in what was most likely an office with a screened window overlooking the café. The woman sat his plate down in front of him just then. "Thank you, ma'am." He nodded to her and began eating his burger. The sound of finely-tuned engines reached his ears causing him to turn in his seat to get a look at the cars. He noticed that the other two occupants of the room had also turned their attention to the parking lot where four brightly colored cars were pulling in. The first to exit their car was a young Hispanic woman who wore a tank top and cargo pants, followed by a Hispanic man who both made their way towards the blue car where a fairly muscled man emerged from the driver's side.

"Talk to me, Jesse. This ain't workin', brother." He motioned for the driver of the white car to come check out his engine.

A young man with his blonde hair covered by a beanie slid out of his car. "It's your fuel map. It's got a nasty hole. That's why you're unloading in third."

"I told you it was third." The Hispanic man stated from the other side of the now exposed engine.

"Shut up."

"I lengthen the injector pulse a millisecond. Just tune the NOS timer, you'll run nines." The kid, Jesse, said as he fiddled with something in the engine.

Steve had turned back to his burger but thanks to the serum, he had enhanced hearing and was able to hear everything being said.

"What's up with this fool? What is he, sandwich crazy?" That was the muscled guy.

"Nah, V. He ain't here for the food, dog." The Hispanic man.

"Chill out, bro. He's just slinging parts for Harry, man." The woman.

"I know what he's slingin'." The muscled guy again.

"He's tryin' to get in Mia's pants, dog." The Hispanic man spoke, heading towards the market portion of the building along with the woman and Jesse. The muscled guy sat down right next to the man eating the tuna sandwich.

"Sup, guys?" The woman behind the counter smiled at the four coming in.

"How ya doin', Mia?" Jesse greeted as he made his way to the back of the store.

"How you livin', girl?" The woman asked, heading to the back and turning to face the man in the office. "Hey, Dom. You want something to drink?"

'Dom' simply raised a can in response, not even looking up from the table. _How rude, at least answer the woman verbally. _Steve shook his head, times had changed and people treated each other with less respect, they certainly didn't hold women in as high regard as they used to. She rolled her eyes and stepped away from the office.

The man who had sat down next to the blonde continued to glare at the man. After a moment, the California boy looked up and met the man's gaze. He heard Jesse and the Hispanic man's banter as they stared at each other. "He's beautiful." "I like his haircut." Steve couldn't help but crack a smile at their antics.

"Vince." The man ignored Mia. "Vince!" The man finally looked over.

"What?"

"Can I get you anything?"

Vince looked at Mia, appraised her up and down. "You look good."

The blonde turned to Vince then turned back to his plate, reaching for his wallet. He stood, "Well, thanks a lot, Mia." He threw down a few bills on the counter. "See you tomorrow."

"Sure."

Vince had remained where he was for a moment. "Tomorrow?" He whispered to himself. The Hispanic man's voice came from the back, "Oh, I love this part."

"No!" Vince slammed his fist on the countertop and stood, following the man outside. "Try Fatburger from now on. You can get yourself a double cheese with fries for 2.95, faggot."

The man turned his head back but continued walking, "I like the tuna here."

"Bullshit, asshole. No one likes the tuna here."

Without turning to face Vince, the blonde said, "Yeah, well I do."

Vince pushed the man into the side of his car. He turned and slammed his fist into the side of Vince's face before Vince rushed him, throwing him back against the car. Everyone was watching the men fighting. Mia turned around to address the man in the office, Dom. "Jesus Christ, Dom. Would you get out there, please? I'm sick of this shit." But Steve was already making his way outside to intercept the pair. He grabbed the blonde man and threw him against the hood of his truck, telling him to stay there. Vince had stood and grabbed Steve's shoulder to spin him around. But Steve grabbed the fist that aimed for his face and landed one of his own, knocking Vince back down to the floor. The group of people was approaching them, Dom in the lead.

"Holy shit! Did you see that? He took Vince out with one punch!" Jesse exclaimed as they jogged over to the three men.

"Jesse, give me the wallet." Dom put out his hand. He flipped it open as soon as it made contact with his skin. "Brian Earl Spilner. Sounds like a serial killer name. Is that what you are?"

"Nah, man."

"Don't come around here again." Dom pointed at Brian and handed him his wallet back.

"Hey, man! You know this is bullshit!"

Dom turned back around. "You work for Harry, right?" Pointing to the truck behind Brian.

"Yeah I just started."

"You were just fired."

Steve had made his way inside once Dom had told Brian not to come to the café again. He sighed as he sat down. "I apologize for their behavior, ma'am. They shouldn't have acted like that in front of two young women such as you and your friend." The team had entered the café just as Steve said this. The Hispanic man was supporting Vince who was still recovering from Steve's punch.

"What's your name?" Mia set a cup of water in front of Vince as he was seated at the counter.

"Steve Barnes, ma'am." He had been using Bucky's last name to avoid recognition. After he had left New York, he had stopped in a little shithole of a town in Pennsylvania. Someone had recognized him and he had to speed out of town before a mob started after him. In the next city, he had bought a razor and buzzed his hair so no one recognized him again. So far, it had worked, he hadn't had anyone blurt out, "Oh my God! It's Captain America!"

"Well, Steve. You're welcome here any time." Mia smiled at the polite man. The only man who had treated her even _close_ to his level of politeness was her brother.

"Thank you, ma'am." Steve finished off his burger and listened to the whispered conversation about him.

"Who the hell _is _this guy? Stopping that fight, taking Vince out with _one punch_. Now he's being all polite and saying, "Ma'am."" Jesse's voice was full of incredulity.

"I don't know but he's got a powerful punch. Jesus, it still fucking hurts." Vince grumbled, rubbing his jaw where a bruise was starting to form.

Steve shoved the last fry into his mouth before standing. He pulled out his wallet, throwing down a ten. "Thank you again, ma'am. It was delicious." Steve walked out to his bike before cursing under his breath and turning around. He was met with questioning stares from the men and curious glances from the women. "Do you know of any motels around here?"

Mia turned to her brother with pleading eyes. Dom knew exactly what she wanted and he shook his head. Mia continued to plead silently with her brother, increasing the intensity of her puppy eyes. "Dammit, Mia." Dom sighed and shook his head. Mia's smile was as bright as a child's in a candy store. Dom turned to Steve, "Do you know anything about cars?"

"Yes, I've worked in a few garages and I used to work on cars all of the time before… work got it in the way." Steve thought he knew where this was going but he didn't dare get his hopes up.

Mia huffed and rolled her eyes, "What Dom's trying to say is: Would you like to stay at our house instead?" The rest of the team gave the siblings incredulous looks.

"You'll work in the garage in return for staying with us. You'll have to fend for yourself for breakfast and lunch but Mia cooks dinner every night. Attendance is mandatory. " Dom crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the soldier.

Steve was floored. He'd just met these people and they were offering to let him stay in their house? "Are you sure? I'm a total stranger, and you're going to let me into your house? Not that I don't appreciate the offer, I really do. But you don't want to talk it over or think that as a stranger I may just steal some stuff and leave in the dead of night?"

"Is that what you're planning to do?" Dom asked, his dark eyes practically demanded an answer.

"Not at all. I was simply wondering why you'd do this for me."

"Because you seem trustworthy, you seem like a good man, Steve." Mia said, her eyes, nearly identical to her brother's, soft and warm.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'd love to take you up on your offer." Steve saw the incredulous and angry expressions of the others. "That is, if the rest of your family is alright with it."

"It's perfectly alright with them. Isn't it?" Dom turned to the others. He received a chorus of mumbled, reluctant agreements from all but one.

"C'mon, Dominic! What are you thinking? This guy just shows up at the café, knocks me on my ass and now he's welcome in our home? We don't even know him!" Vince was on his feet now, approaching Steve with his dark eyes full of hatred and his posture just screaming with hostility. "Listen, asshole, I don't know you and I don't trust you. You are _not_ welcome in our home."

"Vince-" Dom growled, angered that Vince would act out against him. He wasn't a power-hungry dictator, but he was allowing Vince to live in his home because they're family, and the fact that Vince would just throw that all out of the window and question his judgment pissed him off.

"Alright. Point me in the direction of the nearest motel, and I'll be out of your hair." Steve kept his calm, and looked the shorter man in the eye. He wasn't going to intrude and cause a rift in their tight-knit… family. The thought of a family sent a pang through Steve's heart. He had been ripped from his family in the 40s and he had just abandoned his new family in New York. He wondered if they missed him, had they tried looking for him? Or did they heed his message and stay at the Tower? He was brought out of his musings by Vince's gruff voice giving him the address and directions to the motel.

Steve nodded when the man was done talking. "Thank you." He turned to the Toretto siblings, "And thank you for your offer. It was extremely generous, and I am very grateful but if your family doesn't agree with me staying in your home, then I won't intrude. Have a nice day." He nodded to Mia, "Ma'am." And then to the other woman, "Ma'am." He turned and made his way back to his motorcycle and mounted it. He started up the engine and turned in the direction Vince had informed him to go, leaving behind the Toretto family. For now.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: ****Hey guys, I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've updated but summer's only a few days away and that means I'm gonna have soooo much more time to write and we can get this story rolling. Also, I'm almost done with Ch.7 of Lost and Found and I'm gonna be honest with you, I've written like a paragraph for Ch. 14 of FwtP but, again, SUMMER=WRITING!**_

**_Enjoy! :)_**

**_~OPAddict_**

**CHAPTER 2**

Steve had been nursing a beer at an old bar near his motel when he heard about the race that night. He had quickly discovered that the bar was mainly frequented by racers or people who just didn't care what illegal shit was happening, men and women were boasting about the races they had won and the latest upgrades that had been made to their cars. Two men sitting next to him at the bar were announcing the race in the loudest voices they could muster.

"Hey! There's a race tonight! The King of the Streets is gonna be there! " The one who spoke was relatively short for a man, only about 5'6", his tan skin and blonde hair were smudged with oil and grease.

"Y'all better be there!" The second man was of Hispanic descent and he looked like he had recently washed up and redressed as opposed to his grease-covered counterpart. The two had stood up and exited the bar after giving the location of the race and almost the entire bar followed them. Steve heard a chorus of engines start up outside and rumble away.

The blonde decided he could go for some excitement, as well as check out the racing scene of 2013. He finished up his beer and threw down some cash on the bar as he stood. He could still see the brightly-colored racing cars down the street and began following them to the race. When he arrived, he was greeted with men wearing casual clothing and women dressed in mini skirts and tube tops. Steve felt a blush bloom across his cheeks at the sight of the scantily clad women; he wasn't quite used to this time's indifference to how much skin a woman showed. It was better than when he was first unfrozen and Tony had taken the Avengers out to a club, he had nearly had a heart attack at what some of the women were wearing.

He parked his bike near the mouth of the alley and dismounted smoothly. He saw a few cars enter the alley followed by a bright green Eclipse with black designs and a light casting bright green onto the asphalt beneath it. He was surprised when he saw California Boy- as Steve had started referring to him- unfold himself from the car. The cars around him all had their hoods popped up to display what they had underneath. Steve watched California Boy as he scanned the crowd. He followed the other blonde's line of sight and spotted a bald Hispanic man approaching the Eclipse and its driver. Steve vaguely heard "Snowman" from the man and smiled slightly. He decided Snowman was much shorter and fitting for the blonde than California Boy. Those blue eyes held too much pain and were always too cold for him to be a care-free California boy.

"Sweet ride." The man said when he reached Brian, "Whatcha runnin' under there, man?"

Snowman simply smirked in response. The Hispanic man chuckled slightly and gestured to himself, "You're gonna make me find out the hard way?"

Snowman smiled. "Hell yeah."

"You brave, you brave." The Hispanic man pointed to Brian as he said this. "They call me Hector. Got a last name too, but I can't pronounce it so," Hector shrugged.

"Brian Spilner." The two shook hands. _I think I do remember Dom reading his name off the wallet. Brian Earl Spilner. That does sound like a serial killer… _

"Yeah, typical white boy name, y'know what I'm sayin'?" They both smiled at the jibe. "See that over there? That's mine, that's my baby." He turned and gestured to a car half hidden by people where a man was shining the front of the car. "But I ain't cutting her loose tonight."

"Why not?"

"Nah, cause I'm going legit, homie. Tryin' to get on the Nirus circuit. You heard about that?"

"Ah, hell yeah." Steve watched as another man approached the pair of racers.

"So, what's up with you, man?" Hector asked.

"I'm just waitin' for Toretto."

The man that was approaching stopped beside them and spoke. "Shit, better get in line. This yours?" He asked gesturing to the Eclipse.

"Yeah, I'm standing next to it." Steve couldn't help but smile at the blonde's smart mouth, he liked this kid.

"That's funny. Y'know, everyone happens to know a few things, one of the things that everyone knows is; it's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car." He pointed to the blonde in question as he spoke. "Better learn that."

Several people turned towards the mouth of the alley at the sound of engines approaching. The black man spoke up, "Ah, shit. Here they come. It's on." Fiver cars entered the alley lead by a red Mazda RX-7 and the four cars he had seen earlier at the café.

Dom got out of the Mazda wearing a black tank top that showed off his biceps and black cargo pants. He greeted two women and when the Hispanic woman climbed out of her car she approached them and let out a noise sounding like a cat. "I smell," she made exaggerated sniffing noises, "skanks. Why don't you girls just pack it up before I leave tread marks on your face."

Dom made an exasperated face, "Letty, I was just talkin' to 'em."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Okay. Hector." Dom pointed to the Hispanic man walking towards him.

"Yeah, what's up man?"

The black man approached and greeted Dom. "Yo, what's up? Edwin. How're we doin' this today?"

"One race. 2g buy-in. Winner takes all." The two nodded. "Hector, you're gonna hold the cash.

A man walked up from behind Dom. "Why Hector?"

Edwin spoke, "Because he's too slow to make away with the money, man." Hector gave a sarcastic smirk and a nod before dropping the smile and giving the man a deadpan face.

Dom began to walk away, "Okay, good luck, guys."

"Hey, wait, hold up." Brian joined the group. "I don't have any cash. But I do have the pink slip for my car."

"You can't just climb in the ring with Ali 'cause you think you box." Jesse stood next to Dom.

Brian pointed to Vince, "He knows I can box. So check it out, it's like this. I lose, winner takes my car, clean and clear. But if I win, I take the cash and I take the respect." Everyone laughed at the blonde's statement. "To some people that's more important."

Dom pointed to the Eclipse. "That your car?" Brian nodded and they moved to his car. They lifted the hood and unveiled a shining, impressive engine underneath.

Jesse listed off several components of the engine and Dom made a comment about Brian's bad way to waste ten thousand dollars. At this point Steve had begun to get slightly bored with the conversation. He enjoyed cars and everything about them but he really just wanted to see if they were gonna let the Snowman race.

"Yeah, and he's got enough NOS in there to blow himself up, period." Edwin interjected.

"So, what d'you say? Am I worthy?"

"We don't know yet. But you're in. Let's go." Dom turned away and walked toward his car, the crowd dispersing to follow his lead. Everyone got into their cars and drove out of the alley. Steve hopped on his motorcycle and followed the crowd. They stopped at an empty street and created a perimeter and closed off the street with their cars. The four who were racing drove up to the line and the first three stopped at it but Brian drove right over it. Steve couldn't help but faceplant at the blonde's actions. _I thought you wanted respect, man. This ain't the way to get it. _The racers revved their engines one by one and Hector stepped up and raised his arms. He threw them down and they were off, speeding down the road as streaks of bright color.

He watched them as they crossed the finish line, Dom first. He could see only because of the serum. Three of the cars came back, Brian stayed where he had stopped for a moment before turning back toward the crowd. Hector gave Dom his winnings as Brian pulled up. He pulled himself out of the car, smiling at the crowd around him. Jesse and Dom rushed to the car, lifting the hood only for a cloud of smoke to come billowing out. Dom shook his head and looked up at Brian who was still smiling maniacally.

"What're you smiling about?" Dom asked.

"Dude, I almost had you." The crowd laughed and Steve shook his head. This kid was never gonna get the respect he wanted at the rate he was going.

"You almost had _me_?" Brian nodded. "You never had me. You never had your car. Granny shifting, not double-clutching like you should. You're lucky that hundred shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake." Dom approached a few people as he walked around the Eclipse. "Almost had _me?_" He asked them, they laughed. He walked back to the front of the car, "Now me and the mad scientist gotta rip open the block, and replace the piston rings you fried."

Dom closed the hood and straightened. "Ask any racer, any real racer. It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning's winning." Dom gestured to the now-cheering crowd.

A yell of "COPS COPS COPS, GO!" had everyone scrambling for their cars. Steve ran to his bike and sped away with the street racers, heading for his motel. He watched as some people were caught and yanked out of their cars to be arrested. He made it back to the motel without getting arrested. He entered his room and shrugged out of his leather jacket. He could get used to the racing scene of today; it was a lot like it used to be except for the women and the cars. _Now all I need is a car and some practice and I'll be ready to race. _Steve took a quick shower- cold of course, motels don't do hot water- and crawled into the shitty motel bed, springs digging into his back. But hey, it beat sleeping on the streets. Steve thought of the life he left back in New York and slept, dreaming of his family he left behind.

_***LINEBREAK***_

"Well, shit." Steve squinted up at the bright LA sun and cursed his luck. His motorcycle wouldn't start up and he didn't very well have the tools to fix it on his own. _Toretto said something about a garage. _He remembered back to the day before. He walked into the main office of the motel and asked the woman at the front desk for directions to Toretto's garage. He shrugged off his jacket and laid it over the seat of his bike. He grabbed the handles, lifted the kickstand and started pushing it down the nearly-empty street. He pushed his bike all the way to Toretto's garage getting some strange and some sympathetic looks from people on the street and in their cars. One person offered to help but at that point he was only a block away so he politely declined.

He pushed his bike up the driveway and to the open garage where he found the team and Mia going about their business. Mia looked up from the files she had been asking Dom about and saw the supersoldier with his white t-shirt clinging to his skin because of the sweat standing next to his bike. "Steve," she walked over to him with a look of concern. "We didn't hear you pull up."

"That's because my engine was never on, ma'am. You had nothing to hear." Steve let out a huff of air as he rested from his long trek pushing his heavy bike; even supersoldiers got tired sometimes.

"What do you mean your engine was never on? Then how the hell…" Mia's eyes widened slightly in realization, "Oh, Jesus, Steve. Please don't tell me you pushed that thing all the way here."

Steve gave a sheepish smile, "Well, that'd make me a liar, ma'am, and a liar is something I will never be." _Except when I lie to you about my identity but that's only for everyone's personal safety. _

"Well you got some strength in ya, that's for damn sure." Vince said, rubbing the bruise that had started forming on his jaw as he remembered the punch the blonde had delivered the day before.

"Sorry about that," Steve ran a hand through his short hair. "But, I'm here because my bike won't start and I don't have any tools to fix it, so I brought it here to see if you could help me out."

"What d'you think's wrong with it?" Letty approached the Harley and admired the custom work the man had done to it.

"I'm pretty sure it's the carburetor, I checked everything else I could and that's the only thing I can think of that could be causing problems. But, I don't have the tools to take it apart and clean it." Steve took a step back to let the woman inspect his bike. He watched her closely, that bike was his baby and while she was a professional, no one was good enough to be around his baby without him being cautious.

"Alright, we'll get that sorted out for you. We should have it done by the end of the day and you can come get it then." Mia pulled some papers from the stack on the table next to her and began filling it out while Letty took the bike and pushed it over to her work area and grabbed the tools she needed. Steve signed the papers Mia asked him to and turned to make the long walk back to his motel so he could grab his sketchbook and sketch some of the city.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mia's stern voice carried across the garage as the blonde made his way out.

"Back to my motel, ma'am." Steve turned back to the woman and stood up straight, just like he was facing Colonel Phillips back in the war.

"No you're not. I'm taking you back to the café so you can get some food in you." Mia threw the files down onto the desk and grabbed her keys even before she heard the crisp "Yes, ma'am." Come from Steve. She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek and told the others bye before she and Steve were making their way toward her bright blue Acura Integra. Steve ducked into the passenger seat and enjoyed the comfortable silence that filled the car.

They pulled into a driveway next to the café where Mia parked the car. They exited and Mia unlocked the door, ushering him inside to the bar where he sat the day before. "What would you like, Steve?"

"Burger and fries again, please." Steve sat in silence as Mia pulled out all of the necessary equipment and ingredients.

As Mia got the blonde's food started, she began speaking, "So, Steve, what brings you to LA?"

"Some issues came up back home so I ran as far and as fast as I could and it landed me here. Been staying in motels and taking whatever jobs I could find, really liked the jobs I had working in garages." Steve ran a hand through his hair and grimaced at how sweaty it was.

"You worked in garages? You any good?" Mia turned from the grill as she asked the question.

"I like to think I am but I'll let others judge how good I am. But since I've been runnin' I don't have any of my tools so I had to take my baby to your garage to get her fixed."

"Well she's in good hands now, Letty'll take good care of her." Mia placed the burger and fries in front of the man and smiled when he grabbed the burger and devoured it in five minutes. "Someone was hungry." She laughed at the blush that covered the blonde's face.

Steve swallowed the last bite and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I have a pretty big appetite." Steve began eating his fries slower than he normally would've.

Mia laughed and began cooking a second burger. "Well, I hope you're up for another because no one leaves here hungry."

Steve opened his mouth to protest but Mia silenced him with a glare. "Yes, ma'am." Steve continued eating his fries and dug in when a second burger was placed in front of him.

"So, where do you plan on going from here? I'm just assuming but I'm pretty sure you were running west and now you don't have much more west to run to."

Steve swallowed the bite he had just taken. "I dunno. Maybe I'll go overseas, can't go back and they're probably looking for me. Travelling the world does sound kind of fun." Steve smiled and took another bite of his burger.

"Well, if you ever need a place to stay or a job, call me. Hell, if you need a job while you're in town I'm sure Dom has something you can do over at the garage. C'mere." Mia grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled out a Sharpie and began writing her phone number on the back of his hand. "Call me whenever, I'll do what I can."

Steve smiled and thanked Mia. He supposed he could just use a payphone, he had to ditch the phone Tony had given him and he hadn't had the need to get another until now. "So, Mia, do you do work in the garage other than doing the paperwork?"

"Well, nothing for the garage. I do work on my baby out there, though. And then I run things here so Dom can focus on the garage." Mia smiled sadly. "Ever since our dad died, Dom's taken care of me. Now, I'm all grown up but he still insists on taking care of me. It's kind of nice, having someone who cares about you."

"That it is, ma'am." Steve's tone was sad and longing, thinking of his life in the past and his life he had recently abandoned. He had people who cared about him, and it was nice. He'd lost track of how many times he'd wondered what his life would've been like if he'd run out before Erskine could talk to him. Or if he'd defeated Schmidt without crashing the plane. Or if he'd died in the ice instead of being thawed in this strange new time. He could've been with the people who cared about him. But, of course, then he wouldn't have met his new family.

"I'm sorry, Steve. I didn't mean to drag up any painful memories." Mia placed a hand on the supersoldier's arm.

"It's fine, ma'am, I think about them every day, you're not doing any harm." Steve gave the woman a small smile and placed his hand over hers.

"Oh, Steve." Mia's eyes were sad as she looked at the weary man. He looked like he had seen too much in his lifetime and she had an extremely strong urge to just help him. "Let me help you, please."

"I can't let you get hurt, ma'am. I have people after me and I don't want anyone to get caught in the crossfire."

"I can take care of myself, Steve. Besides, your eyes are telling me you want someone to care about you again. Please, Steve, let me take care of you."

"Mia, your family isn't welcoming." Steve closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to think about what this woman was offering him. She was offering a _home,_ a _family_. But he couldn't, SHIELD was looking for him and they don't care who they have to kill to get what they want. _Fury showed that clearly._ Steve thought with anger.

"Let Dom and I worry about them, Steve. Besides, we took all of them in when they had no where else to go. If they have a problem with you, they'll have to go through me." Mia wrapped her hands around the man's neck and pressed their foreheads together. "Please, Steve, let me help."

Steve felt a lone tear run down his face. "Mia, you just met me yesterday. I could be a serial killer for all you know."

"But you're not. You're a man who's been running for too long and just needs to _stop_. You're gonna have to stop sometime, Steve, you're not gonna have any more places to run to soon. I'm not asking you to move in forever, just stay with us for a while and if you still feel like you have to run, then we'll let you go." Mia moved one of her hands from the back of his neck to wipe away the tear that was running down his cheek.

Steve nodded, "Alright. Alright. Thank you, Mia." His smile was full of relief and joy.

"Thank you for letting me help, Steve." Mia smiled at the bright blue eyes that opened. She noticed how close they were but wasn't bothered by it, she felt like she was with Dom; an older brother that would be there when she needed him.

"What the fuck is this?" The two were startled by the growl coming from the entrance to the café. Steve mentally cursed himself for not being more observant. He whipped around to see Vince standing there with his hands clenched into fists at his sides, knuckles turning whiter by the second.

"Steve's going to be staying with us until he's ready to leave." Mia's voice was calm and collected as she stared at the man who had known her brother since third grade.

"The fuck he is!" Vince yelled, lunging forward as if to attack the man.

"Hey! Watch your language, she shouldn't have to hear you talk like that." Steve stood, preparing himself for a fight

"Like she ain't heard it before!"

"Whatever, Vince! Thank you, Steve for being such a gentleman, but it's fine. I've had to deal with Vince most of my life, he's nothing I can't handle." She turned back to Vince, "Now if you have a problem with Steve staying with us, we can head back to the garage and talk to Dom and get everything settled." Mia crossed her arms and stared expectantly at the brunette.

"Fine." Vince snarled and stormed outside, jumping in his car and tearing down the street.

Mia sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "C'mon, Steve. Let's go before Vince throws another fit." She grabbed her keys and locked up before climbing into the car shortly after Steve. They drove in silence and were both surprised to see the tow truck pulled up in front of the garage with an old, beat up piece of crap car sitting on the back of it.

"What is going on here?" Mia muttered as she pulled her car into its previous space and exited. She thanked Steve as he held the door open for her. "Dom! What's going on?"

"Buster here thinks this is the ten-second car he owes me. Pretty funny, right?" Dom smiled at his sister and nodded to the blonde man that followed her inside.

"Yeah, yeah. Now you, Vince, Steve and I have something to discuss."

"Yeah, I know. Vince stormed into the office and said you had something to discuss with me. C'mon, before he throws another fit." Dom turned and began to walk to the office located in the back of the garage.

"Alright, what do you need to tell me?" Dom settled into his chair behind the desk and looked expectantly at the three in front of him.

"Steve's going to be staying with us until he decides he needs to move again." Mia took her newfound friend's hand to comfort him. She had sensed the tension the soldier harbored and wanted to reassure him that it would all be okay.

"Ok, and what do we need to discuss?" Dom raised an eyebrow and turned to Vince, gathering that this was the reason his friend was pissed.

"Dominic, he's a complete stranger! Why would we let him in our home?" Vince gestured angrily at the taller man standing beside Mia.

"Look, V, if Mia trusts him, I do too. Besides, he don't seem that bad."

"And he's worked in garages before so he'll earn his keep that way." Mia squeezed Steve's hand when she felt the man tense up.

"I don't want to impose. If your family isn't accepting then I'll be happy to stay in my motel until I decide to leave. I don't want to cause any problems." Steve ran his free hand through his hair as he spoke.

"Look, Barnes," And didn't that cause a wonderful spike of pain in his heart? "You ain't gonna cause any problems. Vince knows that if he don't like the way things are in my house, he can leave for his own at any time." Dom looked at the angry brunette as he said this.

Vince snarled, "Fine, as long as he's here, I ain't." Vince abruptly stood and stormed out of the door, knocking over several things in the garage on his way out.

Steve sighed, "Great, I'm just causing more trouble."

Mia squeezed his hand again, "No you're not, Steve, it'll be fine. V will get over it and it'll be good. Now, you want a ride to your motel to pick up all of your stuff?"

Steve squeezed back, "Thanks, Mia." Steve smiled gratefully at the woman, his heart soaring at having someone to care for him again. "For everything."


End file.
